


Storm of dust

by Schattenfell



Series: Overwatch Oneshots [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, post-SEP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 10:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schattenfell/pseuds/Schattenfell
Summary: They were told that it would be a short war. That there would be almost no casualties. But they were wrong and Gabriel had known this from the start. The omnics were stronger and had better weapons. It didn't take long until a quarter of the US soldiers was wiped out. Only then came the rethinking. The recognition of the government. But maybe it was already too late...#Overwatch Strike Team!





	Storm of dust

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I don't really know what to write at the beginning, so I'm just going to thank my friend for inspiring me. This is my first Overwatch fic. so please be kind.  
> And well, found a fitting soundtrack for it, here's the link: 
> 
> https://youtu.be/8DSeZji2x-Y?list=PLl42nn9EVnqrbin-r911Kkgk6KoQUwgtm
> 
> Translation into German available: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13680240

~Gabriel~

Ash. Dust. Bullets. Amounts of bastions with rattling machine guns.

Fire everywhere and collapsed buildings, at least what was left of them. Later, this would be referred to as "the first Omnic crisis" or "the third world war". The worst of all?

They were told that it would be a short war. That there would be almost no casualties. But they were wrong and Gabriel had known this from the start. The omnics were stronger and had better weapons. It didn't take long until a quarter of the US soldiers had been wiped out. Only then came the rethinking. The recognition of the government. But maybe it was already too late.

Nothing held up against this chaos. At least not until the founding of the Overwatch Strike Team. For many, it was unreal that a small task force could accomplish so much more than a whole division. But it did and it was an immediate success.

Almost whole North America was free of evil omnics. Only one city was left: Los Angeles, Gabriel's hometown. It was the most destroyed city by the Omnics, as it was a very important area in California, next to San Francisco and San Diego. The coastal areas had generally been badly affected, and Commander Reyes had worked so hard to stop it. His team was always ready for a new mission. But Gabriel was not sure if he was. War had always been terrible for him, just like for anyone else. Hopefully.

Strangely, he didn't feel nervous, or even afraid, so close to the battle. On the contrary, he was the calm self. At least it looked so from the outside. He had to stay focused. For himself. For his companions. For the good of the whole, a damned world that was just about to crumble.

Not losing yourself in your thoughts was the most important thing. Otherwise, you might not return. As soon as you set foot on the battlefield, you need your full concentration. If everyone stuck to it, nothing could go wrong. It just had to go smoothly, because Gabriel was sure that this would not be their last fight. They needed every available member alive.

-

*Overwatch Dropship 0700 AM*

There was an unfamiliar tension in the air that made even Gabriel uneasy. The crushing silence bothered them all. Not even Jack found words of encouragement. Something that Gabriel worried even more.

"Nothing to say, Morrison?"

Jack looked at him, a brief grin crept on his face, then he replied:

"Why do I always have to do the talking? You are our commander".

He's right. I have to agree with Jack on this, ", Ana added, also smiling slightly.

"Okay, if that's the case. Team we can do this! Everyone just must stick to his plan. Short for the repetition: Torbjörn, you secure our position, Ana positions on top of a roof and gives us back cover, Jack and I attack head-on, Reinhardt is supporting us with his shield and Liao you're taking care of the injured. Understood? "Gabriel said, glancing at his comrades.

"Sir, yes, sir!" It came back unanimously.

"Then let's scrape a few omnics! “, cried Reinhardt, the anticipation was clearly visible in his voice.

"Stay calm, old friend, let's see who gets more of them" replied Torbjörn.

"I'm in and I'm telling you that I'm definitely going to have more than you," Jack teasingly stated.

"We will see that, farm boy!", Ana spoke up.

"I bet 20 bucks that I get more than he does," Gabriel said.

"Challenge accepted," Jack replied with a grin.  
They are going to be surprised.

"I just hope you take care of yourself, I do not want to patch up all of you"   
Liao remarked with a serious-looking expression.

"You've heard the medic, do not fool around!", the commander ordered.

At that moment, the Dropship landed on the roof of a building, near its area of operation.

"Into a glorious battle! “, roared Reinhardt, where Ana could only shake her head. That this battle wouldn't be glorious, Gabriel could already doubt now.

It had been going too well lately, with no victims on their side. Somehow the slight foreshadowing that this would be over soon overcame him. Alone at the thought, he already began feeling sick. He had to regain his thoughts. Gabriel took a deep breath and shouted:

"Okay, team, everyone in position. Evac point is on this roof! "

After that he joined Jack and Reinhardt.

"Where do we have to go, Commander?", the German asked, looking at the rubble heaps of a former metropolis in front of them."

Straight ahead, then we turn right at the third street. There we meet the first anchor point of the God-AI. After that, we move on N Highland Avenue to the next point. And when we have taken this point and destroyed it, we go over to Hollywood Boulevard or what's left of it to the Chinese Theatre. There is the headquarter of the Californian omnics. All right, so far? "

"I think we should just follow him in." Jack added as he focused on the surroundings. The Crusader nodded and Gabriel rolled his eyes at Jack's comment. Then they set out under the protection of Reinhardt's shield on the first mission goal.

"As a boyscout ya should be able to find your way around, shouldn't ya Jack?", Gabriel said sarcastically and looked at his best friend.

"How many times do I need to tell ya, Gabe? I'm and have never been a boyscout, "Jack replied with an annoyed undertone in his voice. The two of them startled as they heard a loud, squeaking sound from in front of them.

"These are OR-14ns! We have to be careful, verdammt! ", shouted Reinhardt.

But Jack and Gabriel were too busy fending off the incoming Slicers and Eradicators.

"Everything ok with you down there?", Ana asked through her COMM and dropped a shot at an eradicator - the bullet whistled through the air and Omnic hit the ground with a groan.

"Right now, yes," Gabriel told the sniper, "so far, no wounded, Liao."

"Understood, keep me ready if something happens," the medic confirmed.

"The tin cans harass me also pretty bad, but my turret keeps them in check right now," Torbjörn said.

"Good work! But do not let it up, we've got the worst in front of us, "Reyes told his team.

-

*Outside the first mission point, California state route*

While they were fighting their way through the crowds of omnics, they nearly had been hit by bullets several times. And if they hadn’t sought protection behind Reinhardt's shield, the would have died immediately.

Now the three had finally arrived at the marked mission point, a brittle-looking building and they were allowed a short breather. "We have to go all the way up there, were the processors have to be!", the commander explained.

"Good, you go. Me and Reinhardt secure the environment, ", Jack said, putting his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Be careful! I don't want to pick you up in pieces. "

"I could say the same to ya," Gabriel interjected and smiled. " I can do this, see ya later!"

"See ya," the blond-haired called after his friend.

-

*Inside the building*

Gabriel sprinted up the steps, clutching his shotguns tightly. The device for hacking the God-AI processor was located in his pocket. He was always ready to shoot. But surprisingly, he met no enemies, not even in the control center. He seemed to be really lucky today. But if he looked at the console on which the processors were connected to, he immediately changed his mind. Without further ado, he simply attached the device to it, causing the entire system to spark and crash in a humming sound. Hopefully, it didn't start up again, but Gabriel dared to doubt it because of the sparks and the fire. He had to get out quickly before the thing exploded.

Or worse, the whole building. As unstable as it looked from the outside, it could not withstand any further strain. So, he tried to get out as soon as possible, which turned out to be a challenge. Because some stages were rotten and slippery, which increased the risk of a slip even more. Gabriel had to avoid this so he would not hurt himself unnecessarily. However, that slowed his pace a lot.

"Jack! Reinhardt! Get away from the buildings as far as possible. It will probably collapse in a moment! ", he said into the communicator.

"But what about you? We can't ... ", the other soldier began, but was interrupted by Gabriel.

"Just Run!"

Then nothing was heard except loud cracking.

-  
~Gabriel~  
In retrospect, the Latino wondered how he had got out of the building, later Ana would call it as a good portion of luck.

Anyway, it crashed, burning and cracking and gave them the confirmation that at least this processor was finally over. He kept running, even when he was no longer in immediate danger.

He had to find Jack. They would be on the way to the next point. Incidentally, he shot down a few slicers who had blocked his way. These critters were really annoying. As he followed the road, he could see a large, shimmering blue shield. They had accomplished the second point without him. As he had thought. Now there was only one left and the mission had gone pretty well so far.

"Jack? Reinhardt? ", Gabriel called questioningly. Then suddenly he saw a blond hair in a building and a brief time later the distinctive associated face of Jack Morrison.

"Reyes! I already thought you went down with the building. "

"Very funny!", Gabriel had to refrain from a grin.

"Ah, my friend, there you are again!", grumped the big German.

"Uhm, yes. I would say we move on to the next point, right? ", the commander answered.

The other two nodded briefly and they set off again. Meanwhile, the number of omnics increased, probably because they were now near the city center. If they had disabled the last god AI, theoretically all omnics in LA would also have to be broken. But he was always ready for surprises.

"How is it going? I'm sorry, I've just been besieged by some extremely annoying eradicators. But they did not stand a chance against me. Ah, so far, I have 44. ", Ana suddenly spoke over the COMM, so that he was torn from his thoughts.

"Well, except for the fact that Reyes was almost buried in a building. Besides, I already have 72! ", Jack let her know.

"What? Gabriel, what are you doing for stuff? "The Egyptian said reproachfully.

"Oh, that was nothing! By the way, I have 73, Jack", Gabriel interrupted the conversation.

"Seriously?", the blonde asked.

"Well, I have to give in. I only have 59 ", Reinhardt remarked.

"I currently have 67, so a few more than you, my old friend," Torbjörn pointed out.

"I'll catch up with you, dwarf. Besides you have a turret and I don't."

"What did you just call me? I will show you what .... "

"Stop it you two, what should I say? Everything okay with you? Your vital signs show no abnormalities in any case, " Liao said.

"Yes, everything is fine so far. We move on to the last point, then we're done, see you at the Evac point", Gabriel explained as he led his team forward.

-

To be honest, he did not expect to find Hollywood Boulevard on such a scale of destruction. Of course, he was prepared for the worst, but the real situation far exceeded his imagination. Burning and collapsed buildings, broken omnics and the corpses of their victims, civilians and soldiers.

"Dios Mios!" Gabriel exclaimed, startled. He tried to climb over everything that lay on the ground as carefully as possible, withholding his rising nausea.

His comrades felt the same way and he also heard Ana gagging in his headphones. Cruel world. Arrived in front of the Chinese Theater, they first tried to let the impressions sink shortly. No one said a word, a look of terror and disgust was visible on their faces. War was hell. Slowly they entered the building behind the Crusader's shield, no more enemies in sight. Something was wrong here at all. Gabriel took over hacking this time again and pressed the device as firmly as he could on the console. Thanks SEP, this worked out great. But it didn't sprayed sparks. Rather, it turned red, flashed and a loud alarm signal sounded.

"Shit, Gabriel! What did you do? ", Jack yelled at him.

"Nothing at all!"

"Verdammt nochmal! Doesn't matter, we'll fight! ", cursed Reinhardt.

"What's going on down there," Ana wanted to know, but no one paid any attention to her.

Because at that moment, a mob of bastions came out of a side room and opened fire on Reyes's team. Reyes and Morrison tried to shoot back as best they could while sheltering behind the shield. Bullet after bullet hit the massive bodies of the robots, until all laid on the ground in their individual parts.

Out of breath, they grinned at each other. They had done it.

"All that's left is the processor," said Reyes, raising his shotguns and aiming for the console "Adios!"

The console broke down and started to burn. Reyes turned and smiled as he suddenly heard a humming behind him. He could not react as fast and just saw how an OR-14 Omnic grabbed Jack from behind, throwed him into a corner and started shooting at him.

No! Please. Not Jack. His Jackie. No!

His mind went crazy and the adrenaline was burning in his limbs as he saw his friend lying motionless on the floor, in a pool of blood that had formed beneath him. Reyes literally shredded the OR- 14 unit. There were only metal heaps left. He hurried to Jack and tried to find the wound. As carefully as possible, he freed him from his armor, so Jack was just laying there with bloodied upper body. The blonde whimpered in pain and Gabriel calmed him as much as he could.

"Mierda! Jackie, what are you doing for stuff! You're such an Idiot, ya know? Ssh, all right! That will hurt a bit now! "

"Can I help somehow, Commander?" The Crusader asked behind him. "I'm afraid not. Not even I can do a lot. We need Ana or Liao "

"What happened? Captain Morrison's vital signs are dropping rapidly. Did he get hit? ", the medic demanded through his communicator.

"Yeah....".

"Where?"

"I'm not sure ... but it's pretty safe on the chest".

"Shit, I'll send Ana to help you and get everything ready! Make sure Morrison stays alive. Apply pressure on the wound to minimize blood loss and feel for his pulse regularly. "

"Yes, yes I'll do that. Please hurry! ", The Commander answers resignedly.

Jack was not allowed to die.

He followed Liao's descriptions. If he only had one of these new biotic emitters with him.

Gabriel could not believe his eyes when he saw a movement in Jack's face. The blond opened his eyes and muttered his name. "Ssh, everything will be ok again. You'll be okay, did you hear that Jackie? Just don't give up, ", Reyes whispered, gently stroking Jack's cheek.

"I - I have 93 now," Jack tried to say in a faint voice, what he only managed moderately. "I only have 92. I probably owe you 20 bucks “, he told him. A small smile settled on Jack's lips, then he sank back into unconsciousness.

-  
~Jack~  
Jack had only seen Gabriel 's grin when the god - AI was destroyed. Alone this sight triggered a touch of pure euphoria in him. That's why he wasn't prepared for an OR - 14 unit to grab him from behind. The grip of the solid metal hand tightened around his neck and he gasped. It couldn't end with him that way, could it? The robot seemed to have the same intuition as he had, because the next moment the pressure released and he felt like he flew through the air. The feeling of being freed again only lasted for a very short time. Landing in a corner on a dirty floor didn't really improve his situation, on the contrary, it felt like he had broken every bone in his body. To make matters worse, it was starting shooting at him. It couldn't get any worse. Jack was not sure about that and tried to make himself as small as he could in order to stay as unhurt as possible. Nevertheless, a burning pain passed through his body seconds later and if he had been able to shout, he would have done it. It was far worse. He felt a red liquid spreading under him. It was warm and smelled slightly metallic. "Blood, “, shot through his mind. His blood. Quite a lot of it. The blond focused his blurry vision on Gabriel, who was ripping apart the omnic, the last thing he saw before the blackness of unconsciousness overtook him and dragged him into the abyss.

-

The next time he woke up, he saw Gabriel leaning over him and trying to free him from his armor. Every little movement ached and he couldn't else but moan. Why did it have to be exactly this Omnic? Beneath him, he still felt a wet, sticky layer of blood. He had to pull himself together to not throw up if he could have done that. Meanwhile, he heard his friend talk to him continuously, but didn't understand a word. Only a few scraps penetrated him like an idiot and hurt. He heard Reinhardt questioning about something in the background and was pretty sure that Gabriel just negated it. If only he could understand something. Then Reyes was discussing with a person about his communicator. Probably Ana or Liao. Jack soon felt a pressure on his chest and he still had to convince himself that it was Gabriel's hand, which tried to prevent him from bleeding to death. The other hand was at his neck and it took a while for it to find the right position. Looking at his friend, he mumbled his name and he could clearly see a wave of disbelief and surprise in his face. Gabriel talked to him again and this time he understood at least the majority. Do not give up and Jackie. Now or never, he thought to himself and summed up all his remaining powers: "I-I have 93 now. „He was surprised by himself how quiet and sickly his voice had sounded. " I only have 92. I probably owe you 20 bucks," he received from Gabriel in response, which alone conjured a small smile on his face, until his eyelids were getting heavier and he dipped back into the blackness.

-  
~Ana~

Ana was worried about Jack. But also, angry, upset, annoyed? She was no longer sure of her emotions. "Concentrate Amari, you can do it!" She said to herself to calm herself down a bit. She had already believed that the mission would end without injuries. Wrong thought. Besides, she did not even know the severity of Jack's wounds. But the words "chest" and "a lot of blood" that Liao quoted her, didn't really sound good. Fortunately, there were no omnics on the road, so she could reach her destination easier and faster. The Chinese Theatre was right in front of her and she accelerated her pace. Every wasted second was deducted from the lifetime of the blond soldier, and she could not afford that. A small wave of relief came over her at the sight of her comrades, as bad as it was. "Gabriel?", she tried to mark her presence.

"Ana, there you are finally!", called Reinhardt relatively quietly, he probably did not want to attract any more Bastions

She didn't respond to the statement, but immediately knelt down next to Morrison and checked his vital signs. They were still there. "We have to get him out of here! Reinhardt, you carry him, Gabriel you are protecting us against enemies and I'll have your back so that he stays alive. Go on, hurry!"

Gabriel looked at her for a moment, then grabbed his shotguns and stood up. "Let's go!"

Reinhardt gently picked up the bloodied captain and followed his commander out to Evac Point. Ana let her gaze wander over the ruined area again, then set off again.

-

Gabriel didn't expect so much resistance on the side of the omnics. But it wasn't difficult for him to destroy them. The adrenaline rush was still on, which was hardly surprising. His thoughts were only with Jack. He hoped that he survived. He had to, at any cost. This realization spurred Gabriel even more.

It would be over soon it, he could already see the Dropship. Please, only the last few miles. He sprinted up the steps to the roof, Reinhardt, and Ana close on his heels. Yes! Yes! There was already a pretty serious-looking Liao in front of them. Oh, please don't let it be too late.

They entered the Dropship, Jack was still carried by Reinhardt, and it immediately took off.

-  
~Lia~

"Put him down here “, Liao said, pointing to a wall-mounted stretcher with all sorts of medical equipment next to it.

The Crusader was visibly trying not to hurt the fragile-looking Jack in his arms.

Then the medic inspected the injured soldier's wound and tried as best as he could to put on a bandage.

It was shortly afterwards also blood-soaked.

"Damn it. He needs a transfusion and I'll probably have to intubate him as well".

He immediately ran back to get a blood bottle but had to pause in front of the closet.

"What blood type does he have again?", the medic wanted to know slightly embarrassed.

"A positive “, Ana answered his question.

It was really hard for him to concentrate on anything today.

"Uh, thanks", he replied and came back to the stretcher with the right pouch. 

He put an IV access on Jack's arm and attached a long tube to it, through which now blood flowed continuously into the soldier's body.

"I'll connect him to the vital monitor now and then see what else I can do for him. But that's not much. He has to go to a hospital".

"Will-will he make it?" Gabriel spoke up.

"I can't promise anything," he replied.

Reinhardt and Torbjörn, who had arrived at Dropship before them, did not say a word and regarded the event with silent terror.

"Ana, I need your help. You have to hold him as good as possible "

The sniper immediately came to his aid and supported Jack's head while he took a struggling breath after another. Liao applied the small pads to his upper body and inserted a tube into his windpipe to help him breathe. The monitor immediately began to beep shrilly, a noise that still caused him goosebumps after all these years in his job and displayed the more or less stable signs of life of Captain Morrison.

If only he could help him more.

-  
~Gabriel~  
Gabriel could only vaguely remember the following moments.

He knew that they had landed on the roof of a hospital and that a whole bunch of paramedics had come in carrying Jack out on the stretcher.

Of course, he had run after them but was then asked to wait along with the others in the waiting room until a doctor came back to them. Only Liao was allowed to come with them, especially because he was the head - medical officer of the strike team. The rest, actually just Ana and he had to stay outside.

Reinhardt and Torbjörn couldn't stand it and were immediately sent home by the Egyptian, on condition that they were informed immediately if there were any news. So, they were sitting in that sticky room for five-ish hours now and had waited for a doctor. Meanwhile, Gabriel didn't even look up when someone passed him, so lost in his thought he was. If only he had reacted faster. Hadn't waited so long. Certainly, he felt guilty. He could still see Jack's blood on his hands. He would never forget that memory again. He rested his elbow on his knees and put his head in his palms. Morrison was probably undergoing surgery, that would explain the current situation. But so long? Gabriel had to admit that he had no idea about medicine except first aid.

Why Jack? Why right now?

"Jack Morrison?" Gabriel heard someone calling through the room and jumped up, nerves jerking in his limbs, his hands trembling and sweating. In front of him stood a young doctor who apparently was in charge of Jack.

"How is he?", Ana asked, who was also standing now.

"He is stable so far, his right lung was punctured, but we were able to contain the damage. Your comrade will have to stay in intensive care for a long time, four days minimum, then we'll see. Any questions?"

"Can we see him?" Gabriel wanted to know.

"He is not conscious at the moment, but if you really want it. Please follow me!"

The doctor led them over a long white corridor to the intensive care units. It seemed like an eternity to Gabriel until they were standing in front of the right room. An infinite time in which he still learned nothing new about Jack. Agonizing and crushing. He didn't recognize himself so desperately. Somehow the whole thing was an irony of fate. It had to come like that. Only he didn’t know why. But this whole thing must have a deeper meaning somehow. Otherwise, their fate really had a bad sense of humor. But when he entered the small room with Ana and the doctor, in which only Jack was lying, looking lost and odd, he could not help but shed a tear.

At that moment, he didn't give a shit what the others thought of him. They would win this war. Together. And the world would be better than ever. Gabriel was with his friend again and he swore that nothing and nobody could ever separate them again.

Never.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope ya enjoyed reading it! Pls leave a comment, it would help me a lot with improving my writing skills.
> 
> Dios Mios - Oh my god  
> Adios - bye  
> Mierda - Shit, damn
> 
> intubation - is the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea (windpipe) to maintain an open airway.


End file.
